


Strings

by orphan_account



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 05:44:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/427535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Spring Break, and Bella and her friends are spending it at a lakeside cabin. Bella would rather be in Cancun, but when a certain hot guy paddling a canoe catches her eye, she just might change her mind.</p><p>Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strings

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." I glared at Alice, but her eager grin only widened.

"Oh, relax, Bella," she said, linking her arm with mine and looking up at the dilapidated cabin. "You'll love it. Getting back to nature… breathing clean mountain air." She inhaled deeply to emphasize her point.

I scowled. "I like clean ocean air," I grumbled. "Really, Alice, we could be in Cancun right now… Cancun!" I knew I was whining like a baby, but I didn't even care.

"It's not so bad." Rosalie wrinkled her nose at the cabin, but a smile quickly lit her face when her boyfriend, Emmett, walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist before kissing her cheek.

"You…" I pointed a finger at Rose in aggravation. "I don't even want to hear a word from you… traitor!" Rose had been on board with the Cancun trip at first, but had bailed when Emmett voiced his excitement at spending a week at Alice's Uncle Edward's cabin on Lake Katchelias.

I was pretty sure he'd promised Rose multiple orgasms on top of a mountain or something. That girl would do just about anything for a good orgasm.

Of course, who wouldn't?

I mentally shrugged and turned back to the two-story cabin, taking in the weathered wood and crooked front porch. Cracks in the paint revealed it had been red at some point… and green at another… before someone chose a kind of puke brown. I could make out mismatched curtains behind the windows, and a couple of faded yellow canoes leaned against the right side of the building.

"You owe me for this." I looked from Alice to Rosalie with narrowed eyes. "Both of you."

The three of us met in the dorm our first day as freshmen at the University of Washington. Alice had been my roommate and Rosalie lived next door with a girl named Angela Weber. We all hit it off immediately and got drunk that night on too many wine coolers. As a result, we became the kind of friends you became with people you got really drunk with for the very first time. The four of us were inseparable after that, but it didn't take long for Alice and Angela to discover they wanted to be more than friends.

They'd been together ever since.

Rosalie met Emmett a few months later, but their relationship had more of an on-again, off-again tenor to it. Currently they were on-again.

Which left me once more as the fifth wheel on this little excursion.

Emmett had offered to invite one of his fraternity brothers to join us, but I had adamantly refused. The only thing worse than being the fifth wheel was spending a week with a guy you barely know, surrounded by the sound of couples having sex in the next room.

Been there. Done that. Don't ask.

Angela walked up at that moment, taking Alice's hand and hopping excitedly onto her toes. "This is going to be so much fun!" she squealed. I fought the urge to glare at her because Angela was really one of the nicest people I ever met. She and Alice were both really outdoorsy people, so when the opportunity arose to spend Spring Break of our senior year at the cabin, they were both thrilled.

Me, not so much. Not really the outdoorsy type.

Unless it involved miles of crashing waves, sandy beaches, and muscled eye-candy in very little clothing.

"Besides," Alice continued, gesturing at the cabin and dragging me out of my Cancun fantasy. "This isn't why we're here." She turned, pulling Angela and me along to a break in the trees, with Rose and Emmett trailing behind. We walked onto a wooden dock and I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips when we emerged from behind a towering pine.

"This…" Alice waved a hand to encompass the view before me. "…is why we're here."

Before me lay a pristine blue lake… crystal clear and reflecting the few white puffy clouds overhead. It was ringed by clumps of pine and cedar trees, interspersed by the odd cabin or expanse of rocky beach. As I stood in awe, two ducks passed above us, landing lightly on the water, then paddling off to the left, where the water disappeared around a corner.

"See?" Alice said enthusiastically. "Isn't it amazing?"

I sighed in exasperation, knowing I'd have to admit she was right. "Yes," I said begrudgingly. "It's beautiful." I pretended not to see Alice and Angela share a victorious smile. The loud slurping sounds behind me indicated Emmett and Rose were ignoring the scenery for the moment.

"We can swim… and canoe…" Alice was excited, her fingers gripping my arm tightly.

Angela jumped in. "And there's hiking… and horseback riding…"

"Don't forget the S'mores!" Emmett piped up.

"Okay… okay…" I laughed, holding up my hands defensively. "I give up. It'll be fun."

We turned to walk back to the cabin when I heard the sounds of music floating toward me over the water. I stopped, looking over my shoulder.

"What's that?" I asked Alice.

She tilted her head for a moment. "Probably the campground across the lake," she explained. "It's pretty busy at this time of year."

Alice and the others continued through the trees as I scanned the shoreline on the other side of the lake. I thought I saw a flash of movement between the pines, but then just as quickly it was gone.

"Bella! Come on!" Rose called out. "You're going to get last pick of the bedrooms!"

I flicked my eyes once more along the beach before turning to jog back to the cabin. The music faded and I forgot all about it.

Until the next morning.

~0~

I woke early, and without a hangover. I suspected my cabin-mates would not be as fortunate. The night before, we had ended up playing a game of Slam-a-Shot Scrabble, a game Emmett made up. Basically, it was regular Scrabble, but whoever had the lamest word in a round had to down a shot of tequila. Obviously, as the night wore on the words got lamer and lamer. I had a fairly decent vocabulary, so I stayed pretty sober.

The game finally broke up after a rather heated discussion over whether Va-jay-jay was a legitimate word. Emmett insisted that it had become a colloquialism – although it had taken him quite a while to get the word colloquialism out in his condition. Everyone else claimed Emmett didn't get a vote since he didn't have one. He said he owned Rosalie's – which earned him a smack on the back of the head – and we all went to bed.

I had to admit the cabin was growing on me. I got a small room with an actual view of the lake, and I spent a few minutes just lying in bed in the morning watching the ripples in the water. My quiet mood was interrupted by a low moan coming from the wall I shared with Rose and Emmett's room, followed by a higher pitched moan coming from the wall on the other side, where Alice and Angela were sleeping.

Good God. That was not how I wanted to start my day.

I pulled on shorts and a tank top, sliding my feet into flip flops and grabbing my sunglasses as I walked quietly out the door. Padding down the stairs, I stopped in the kitchen, frowning at the old-fashioned blue enamel coffee pot sitting on the stove. Fortunately, we had stocked up on bottled Starbucks mochas, so I snagged one out of the refrigerator as I heard a loud thump on the floor above. Grimacing, I all but ran out the door and toward the lake.

It was still early, so there was a slight chill in the air, but as I walked out onto the dock and out of the shadow of the pines I felt the sun warm on my shoulders. I kicked off my flip flops and sat down on the edge of the dock, dangling my feet in the cool water and leaning back onto my hands. Closing my eyes, I raised my face to the sun, and – although I still would never admit this to Alice – decided there were worse ways to spend Spring Break.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sound I couldn't identify at first… a splashing? No… more like a trickling. I opened my eyes and lazily surveyed the surface of the lake. Finally, off to the left, I saw the nose of a canoe coming around the bend, gliding over the water silently, the sound I heard finally identified as the quiet dipping of an oar.

Curious, I watched as the canoe came fully into view.

My mouth dropped open. Not a metaphor – it actually… physically… dropped open.

Wielding the oar was possibly the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.

He was far enough away that I couldn't make out all the details clearly, but what I saw, I definitely liked. He was tall… even only seeing the top half of him I could tell that much… with wavy blonde hair that brushed his shoulders. He wore a dark blue – maybe black – bandana tied around his forehead to keep his hair out of his face, and a pair of sunglasses perched on his angular nose. My eyes trailed downward to his shirtless chest, glistening with perspiration and heaving a little with exertion. He was lean, but firm, and as he dipped the oar into the water the muscles along his back tightened and loosened, a rhythm that had me squirming where I sat.

Good Lord, he had a tattoo… no… two tattoos. I couldn't see what they were, but made out one on his right bicep, and another larger one running down the back of his arm.

He wasn't coming toward me, but angling across the lake, so as he continued on his way I could observe him unnoticed. I tried not to move, even stilling my feet in the water so I didn't make some errant splash that would draw his attention. Eventually, he rowed up onto the beach at the campground across from us and stepped out of the canoe into the water to pull it up onto the shore. He stretched and I finally got to see what the canoe had been hiding… long legs, low-hung board shorts and… yes… as he turned to walk away, what looked to be a spectacular ass.

All thoughts of Cancun flew right out of my head.

I decided right then and there that I loved the outdoors.

~0~

"Beer run!" Emmett announced that afternoon as we were all relaxing on the front porch. I had been thinking about how I could bring up the guy from the campground without being too obvious. I loved my friends, but they were a little over-enthusiastic when it came to my love life. If I mentioned my fascination with Canoe Boy, they were sure to run over there and drag him back… embarrassing me excruciatingly along the way.

Emmett was waiting with an expectant look on his face. "Well, who's in?" he asked, looking from one of us to the other. Alice and Angela were painting each other's toenails and Rose was flipping through a fashion magazine. She glared up at him briefly before turning another page. Apparently, the makeup sex hadn't quite done the job yet.

I sighed. "I'll go," I told him, ducking inside to pick up my purse.

Emmett's dimples flashed as he ruffled my hair. "'Atta girl," he said, draping his beefy arm across my shoulders when I emerged.

"See if they have any tequila!" Alice called out as we walked toward the car. "We're out and I want to make margaritas!"

"Don't hold your breath," I replied. "I think our choices will be beer… and beer. Or maybe wine in a can."

Angela laughed. "I didn't know they even make wine in a can!"

"Oh, the miracles of modern technology," I quipped as I climbed into the car. "Be back soon!" I waved as we pulled away and bumped down the gravel road.

It was just a few minutes to the only town within twenty miles… and the only grocery store. Actually Jack's Trading Post was more like a mini-mart with the basic food items, some hunting and fishing gear, a few novelty t-shirts and two full walls of chilled beer and wine.

I guess that's where the money was.

Emmett started toward the beer, but was distracted by the racks of junk food. He grabbed a basket and started piling in chips and doughnuts and I rolled my eyes, walking to the back of the store.

"What?" he asked. "I'm a growing boy."

"Keep eating that shit and you'll be growing the wrong way," I joked, examining the beer choices. They actually did have wine in a can… as well as a big selection in bottles. I was trying to decide if I should get the stuff in the can, just to be funny, when the bell over the door tinkled and a group of men burst through, laughing and shoving each other. I ignored them and pulled out a can of merlot, eyeing it skeptically, as they made their way down the aisles.

"I'll get the food!" One of them yelled from the front of the store. "Jasper, you get the beer… and none of the crappy shit!"

I felt someone coming up behind me and stepped to the side instinctively. To my surprise, he didn't walk around me, but stopped and peered over my shoulder.

"Merlot in a can?" he murmured quietly, a slight drawl thickening his low voice. "That's a bit sacrilegious, don't you think?"

I turned to look at him, ready with a sarcastic reply, but it dissolved on my tongue.

It was him. Canoe Boy. The bandana was still in place, but the sunglasses had been pushed up onto his head, revealing a pair of smiling blue eyes, crinkled slightly at the corners. He was grinning at me, and I tried not to gasp at the dimples that creased his cheeks. He had put on a black wife beater and I could see now that the tattoo on his upper arm was a heart, emblazoned with the word: Mom.

He was even more gorgeous up close. Utter perfection.

"Ummm…" I said intelligently.

God, Bella. Get a grip.

"I mean, I'm not one to judge," he continued cheekily, pulling open the cooler door and examining the rows of wine bottles quickly before pulling one out, "but I think this might be a little better." He offered me a bottle of Chardonnay, and I reached out to take it tentatively.

"Thanks," I said lamely. As he turned back to the cooler I added, "It was a joke."

He looked at me curiously. "The canned wine," I explained. "It was just a joke for my friends."

"Ahhh…" he nodded in understanding. He leaned against the cooler door. "So… do you live around here?"

I swallowed nervously. I could have a normal conversation with this guy. Sure, he was hot… extremely, intensely hot… but I could do this.

"Just here for Spring Break," I told him. "I came with my roommates."

"Me too." His grin widened. "We're camping on the other side of the lake."

I nodded without thinking. "I know."

His brow furrowed. "You know?"

Shit.

"I… uh…" My cheeks flushed with heat. "I saw you canoeing this morning."

"Oh…?" He tilted his head as his eyes twinkled mischievously. "And this makes you blush because…?"

"Bella, you ready to go?" Emmett's booming voice interrupted my embarrassed floundering.

Saved by the giant, lumbering roommate's boyfriend.

He walked up, carrying his overloaded basket. "I think I've got everything…" He stopped, noticing Canoe Boy for the first time. "Hey, man," he said, doing that guy nod thing. "What's up?"

"Ummm… this is my friend, Emmett." I tried to emphasize the word "friend" without really emphasizing the word "friend". "Emmett this is…" I hesitated and Canoe Boy held his hand out to Emmett, while keeping his eyes locked with mine.

"Jasper… Jasper Whitlock," he said with a wink, before turning to Emmett as he shook his hand. "I was just discussing wine selections with… Bella, is it?" He asked, my name dripping from his lips like honey.

I nodded, my mouth dry.

"Oh yeah?" Emmett looked back and forth between us knowingly. The boy may look like a dumb jock, but he caught on pretty quick.

"So, Jasper…" he continued with a grin and a surreptitious nudge to my side, "you should come by the cabin tonight… hang out with us."

I felt my blush intensify, while at the same time I was silently praying for Jasper to accept.

"Well, I'd love to," he said, flashing a glance at me, "but I'm with some friends."

"Bring 'em along!" Emmett turned his shit-eating grin on Jasper's friends as they joined us in the back of the store. After a lot of handshakes and introductions, the plans were made.

Beer pong at our place.

~0~

"All right." Jasper leaned toward me. "Just stay calm… don't let them rattle you. You can do this."

"Okay."

"One more cup and we win," he reminded me.

"I know."

"Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head. "You look a little sway-ey."

I giggled, burping slightly. "Sway-ey?"

Jasper snickered. "That could be a word." I noticed he was looking a little sway-ey himself.

"I'm okay," I insisted, turning toward the table. "One more cup." I steadied myself, holding the ping pong ball firmly in my hand and glaring across the table to where Jasper's friends Mike and Eric stood tauntingly.

Well, they might have just been standing… but it looked taunting to me.

Of course, I was pretty hammered. We all were.

Turns out Jasper and I were not so good at beer pong.

The saving grace was the fact that Mike and Eric had been supplementing their beer with shots of vodka, so they were even drunker than we were. So here we were about to win our first game… after losing… how many? I couldn't remember at that moment.

"Go Bella!" Alice cheered from the sidelines, her arm around Angela. I nodded at her and took a deep breath, preparing to toss the ball. Rose and Emmett were on the other side of the table along with Jasper's other friend, Jacob. A hush fell over the room.

I tossed the ball, watching it arc through the air, almost in slow motion. I felt Jasper grab my hand as it began to descend… falling… falling…

Plop. Right into the cup.

Mike and Eric groaned as the rest of us cheered, and Jasper picked me up to spin me around.

Okay, that wasn't such a good idea. He set me down and I stumbled a little.

"Still sway-ey?" he asked with a laugh.

"I think I need some air," I explained, blinking against the dizziness.

Jasper wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me out onto the front porch. I collapsed onto a lounge chair and took a few deep breaths, watching him out of the corner of my eye. God, he looked good. He'd traded his shorts and wife beater for a pair of loose jeans and a white button-down that was only held closed over his spectacular chest by two buttons.

I counted. Repeatedly.

"Better?" he asked, pulling a chair over to sit next to me.

I nodded, tearing my eyes away from his body. I leaned back to gaze at the stars, peeking through between the tree branches. "It's nice out here tonight."

"Yeah," Jasper replied, his voice low. I turned my head to find him watching me intently.

"What?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly. He was sitting sideways in the lounge chair, his knees almost brushing my hand where it lay at my side.

"I just…" He leaned forward and licked his lips. My eyes widened at the movement and I felt tingles start to course through my body.

"Just what?" I whispered when he stopped, close enough for me to make out the darker flecks of blue in his eyes… but not close enough for me to feel his breath.

Not yet.

He didn't say anything. He just closed the distance between us. My eyes fluttered closed as I felt his lips brush mine, softly at first, then deeper and harder. Heat flashed through me at the contact and I heard a low whimper… then realized it was mine.

Holy shit.

My hand reached out to run up Jasper's thigh, then his chest, before wrapping around his neck. I felt his tongue dart out to trace my lips, and I parted them on a gasp. He inhaled my breath and tilted his head, deepening the kiss as our tongues slid against each other… sinuously… erotically. My fingers found their way into his hair, twisting the silky strands as I pressed him closer, arching up off the chair to feel his body brush against mine.

It was probably the best kiss of my life.

Finally, he pulled back, running his fingers down my cheek before kissing me once more, gently… chastely.

"I just had to do that," he said, his eyes dark and intense as he watched me.

I smiled. "What took you so long?"

~0~

"So?" Alice prodded the next morning as we were making breakfast.

"So what?" I played innocent, knowing she wouldn't let me get away with it.

"So… Jasper, that's what!" She hopped up onto the counter next to where Angela was buttering toast. "He's hot, Bella. Hell, if I was into peen, I'd be giving him a second look." Angela swatted at her knee. "What?" Alice asked defensively. "I'm just saying…" She kissed Angela quickly, earning a smile… obviously forgiven.

"He's amazing," I admitted, "but it doesn't matter. He lives on the other side of the country." I'd learned, to my dismay, that Jasper and his friends all went to NYU.

Two-thousand, four-hundred and one miles from the University of Washington… and that was as the crow flies.

I might have looked it up on the Internet.

"Who cares?" Rosalie entered, grabbing a glass and pouring herself some juice. "Just have some fun, Bella. You deserve it. Good lord, when's the last time you got laid?"

I thought about it. "It's been… a while," I admitted.

Rosalie laughed. "So, go for it. It doesn't have to be a big deal, Bella. You guys like each other, obviously… the chemistry's there, right?"

I thought about that searing kiss from the night before. "Oh yeah," I said longingly.

"So take the bull by the horns," she encouraged. "Or the boy by the… whatever…"

"You think?" I turned to Alice and Angela.

They both nodded… even Angela, which surprised me. "You're both adults, Bella," she said. "There's nothing wrong with enjoying each other while you're here."

I bit my lip. "Do you think he would be okay with that?"

Rosalie scoffed. "He's a guy," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're talking about a week of hot sex with no strings attached! What guy wouldn't want that?"

"Just talk to him about it, Bella," Alice suggested. "The worst thing he could say is no."

~0~

Jasper came by later that morning to see if I wanted to go canoeing with him. He'd rowed across the lake, so I followed him down to the dock, eyeing his naked back appreciatively. He was wearing the shorts again, and nothing else, and it was all I could do to keep my itchy fingers to myself.

I really wanted to touch him… or lick him… or do unspeakable things to him. But I thought we should probably talk first.

The tattoo on the back of his arm caught my eye. "What does your tattoo mean?" I asked him as we stopped by the canoe. "I mean I know what this one means, it's kind of obvious," I said, indicating the "Mom" tattoo on his bicep. "But this one…" I traced a finger over the black feather extending down the back of his arm. "Does it mean something?"

I looked up at him and noticed his eyes had darkened, the muscles in his jaw flexing. I also realized I was still touching his arm. I didn't stop, though.

Jasper swallowed, his eyes not leaving mine. "It symbolizes flight…" he said, his voice husky, "…freedom…" I was still trailing my fingers up and down the image as his gaze lowered to my mouth. "…ascension."

What was I thinking?

Oh yeah. Talk first.

I pulled my hand from his arm, still feeling the heat from his skin on my fingertips.

"So," I began, trying to still my trembling hands as I looked down at the canoe. "Is it hard?"

Jasper choked. "What?" he asked. I looked up at him and was surprised to find him gaping at me, his cheeks pink.

"I've never canoed before," I explained, not understanding why he was apparently embarrassed. "I just wondered if it was hard."

"Oh…" He laughed. "I thought for a second…" He flushed deeper, then shook his head abruptly. "Never mind. No, it's not… difficult..." he said. "It just takes a little practice."

He flipped his sunglasses down over his eyes, and I helped him shove the canoe into the water and sat on a little bench in the back. He pushed us into deeper water, then climbed in, water trickling from his bare feet.

God, even his feet were sexy.

He told me how to hold the oar and match his strokes and soon we were gliding along, cutting a path through the water. It was really peaceful, actually, and we rowed around the edge of the lake, talking quietly.

It was good he had his back to me, because if he was looking at me, I didn't think I'd be able to work up the courage to say what I had to say.

"Jasper, I need to ask you something."

"Hmmm?" he murmured, dipping his oar in the water. I was distracted for a moment by the movement… then by the way his shorts hung just low enough to give me a glimpse of the curve of his ass.

"What did you need to ask?" His voice broke me out of my daze.

"Ummm… well, it's about last night," I began.

"Mmm hmmm…?"

"I mean, about the kiss," I clarified.

"I figured as much," he said with a chuckle.

"Well… it's just that… I kind of have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" He flicked a glance over his shoulder, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. "That sounds interesting."

I felt my face flame, but forged ahead. "See, I was thinking. We're both here and we obviously like each other…"

"Obviously."

"And we're both unattached," I paused in a moment of doubt. "You are unattached, right?"

He laughed. "At the moment."

I gulped and continued, "Okay, then. So… even though we live so far away from each other, there's no reason why – just for this week - we couldn't… you know… hang out together… and stuff."

Okay, that didn't exactly come out right.

"Hang out?" he repeated.

"Yeah."

"And… stuff," he added.

"Uh huh."

"What kind of stuff?"

I fought the urge to jump in the lake and swim back to shore. "Are you really going to make me say it?"

"Why, Miss Bella," he teased, his drawl exaggerated. "Are you propositioning me for sex?"

I gulped nervously. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. "Yes. Just a week of sex… no strings attached."

He faltered, his oar hovering over the water for a second before he resumed his steady pace.

"Really?" he asked after a moment. "That's what you want?"

"Yes," I replied, quietly at first, then more firmly. "Yes, that's what I want. What do you think?"

He plied the oar a couple of times, and for a second I was afraid he was going to turn me down. But then he pulled the oar across his lap, turning sideways in his seat so he could grin wolfishly at me.

"I think," he said, "it sounds like fun."

He turned back around and we paddled around the lake, changing the subject to less embarrassing things. What was said had been said, though, and the sexual tension hung over our heads, riddling our conversation with innuendo and promise.

"You don't sound like a New Yorker," I observed.

"Originally from Austin, Texas."

"Ah." I laughed. "A cowboy."

"You should see my lariat," he joked suggestively, and my blood heated.

You get the idea.

Eventually, we made our way back to the dock. Jasper pulled the canoe up onto the shore and reached down to help me out. He pulled me up against him quickly, and I gasped as I stumbled against his bare chest. Jasper hissed and his hands tightened on my waist.

"Since we only have a week, maybe we should get started," he said gruffly, before taking my mouth in a searing kiss. I heard laughter coming from the cabin and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the trees to avoid whoever was coming our way. We ran through the woods hand in hand, our bare feet cushioned on a layer of pine needles. We stopped in the thick of the forest and Jasper reached for me, turning to press my back against a tree before lowering his lips to mine.

The rough bark at my back could not distract me from the feel of Jasper's mouth on mine… his tongue plunging deep… his hands desperately gripping my waist. I whimpered, tangling my fingers in his hair and pulling him closer, until we were sealed together from head to toe. I bucked at the feel of his erection and he growled, low and intense, thrusting unconsciously back at me.

Pulling back in an attempt to breathe, I released his hair, running my hands down his chest. His blue eyes watched as I leaned in to kiss his warm skin, flicking my tongue out to taste him.

He tasted good… really… really good.

My hands continued their wandering as I kissed his chest, nipping along his collarbone to the soft spot behind his ear. He bent his head toward me, kissing my bare shoulder, and I could hear his labored breaths as they tickled against my skin.

"Bella… sugar… wait," he murmured against my shoulder. "I don't have anything… I wasn't ready…"

My hands wrapped around his waist, drifting lower, cupping his ass and squeezing gently. "It's okay," I whispered over his nipple. I circled it with my tongue slowly before lightly sucking it between my teeth.

"Shit…" He groaned, his fingers tightening on my hips. "I mean…" He pulled back, but I kept my grip on his ass, holding his lower half firmly to mine. The corner of Jasper's mouth lifted.

"I don't have a condom, Bella," he explained. "If we're going to do this, we need to be safe about it."

I rolled my eyes. "I knew what you meant, Jasper," I said, returning my attention to his chest and teasing his nipple with my tongue. "But just because we can't do that right now, doesn't mean we can't do other… stuff…" I smirked at him. "Really fun… stuff."

I slid my hands up, then back down under the waistband of his shorts, and was rewarded with the feel of his firm flesh beneath my fingers.

"You and your… stuff." He attempted to joke, but his laughter morphed into a low groan as I dipped my hands lower, brushing his balls. "Good lord, Bella… where have you been all my life?"

I chuckled and pushed off the tree, stepping forward until it was Jasper pinned against a pine. I sucked his nipple hard, releasing it with a pop, before slowly dropping to my knees, my hands circling to the front of his shorts and tugging them down gently.

Damn.

He actually had three tattoos. Just above his hipbone were inked the words: "I'm lost…" I flicked my eyes up to him in question, but he just shrugged and grinned.

"Long story," he said.

I nodded, my eyes locked with his as I ran my tongue across the slightly raised letters. His eyes fluttered closed and his head leaned back against the tree as a low moan escaped his lips. I eased his shorts down further, finally releasing his very erect cock.

It was impressive. Not the biggest I'd seen, because I'd once Googled "world's largest penis." Some guy had one more than thirteen inches long.

That shit was scary.

But Jasper's was nice… better than nice, actually. It would definitely do the job quite satisfactorily. I lowered my mouth to it… not touching it, but close enough so he could feel my breath against his skin. It twitched and I smiled.

"Are you teasing me now?" he asked gruffly, his drawl emphasized by his arousal. I looked up to find him watching me carefully, his slight smirk belied by the tightening of his jaw.

He wanted this. Just as badly as I did.

I said nothing. I just ran my tongue slowly up his length, swirling it around the head before kissing it gently and pressing my tongue to the tip.

"Holy motherfucking shit." Jasper groaned.

I snickered. "Such language," I chided, before wrapping my lips around him firmly and taking him into me. I set a slow pace, moving up and down, stroking him with my tongue and lips and curling my fingers around what my mouth couldn't contain. I was so focused on the feel of him – soft and hard… velvet and heat - that I barely registered his fingers digging into the bark of the tree, sending little pieces floating to the earth around us.

"Goddamn it," he drawled. "Sweet Jesus in heaven."

Evidently, Jasper got quite religious during a blow job.

His hips bucked forward slightly and I knew he was getting close. I didn't speed up, just increased the pressure of my hand and sucked him deeper… relaxing my throat as he neared his climax.

"Fuck…" He moaned. I pressed my tongue harder against the underside of his cock.

"Bella… I'm gonna… " I felt him jerk slightly, and redoubled my efforts, grabbing his ass with my free hand and pulling him toward me.

That was all it took… with another loud cry Jasper shuddered through wave after wave of his orgasm, his fingers gripping my hair as I swallowed around him. Finally, he slumped against the tree and I released him, licking my lips to savor the lingering flavor. I tugged his shorts back up as he pulled me to my feet, taking my breath away with another hot kiss.

He spun me around, pressing me to the tree as his hand slid between my legs.

"I think turnabout is fair play," he said with a grin as he dropped to his knees, tugging my shorts and panties down with one quick movement.

God almighty.

I was feeling a little religious myself.

~0~

The week whizzed by. Jasper and I spent just about every moment together. We went swimming and canoeing together… and even rented horses and rode up a mountain trail, stopping for lunch on a peak overlooking the lake. I sat on a blanket with Jasper's head in my lap as I played with his soft hair and we talked about school and our plans for the future. I'd told him a little about the elementary school where I'd be doing my student teaching in the fall, and he'd shared some of his own goals.

"My father wants me to come back and take over the ranch," he told me. Jasper's family had a huge cattle ranch in Texas and supplied beef all over the country. He'd double majored in Business and Marketing and would be a valued addition to the company.

"What do you want?" I asked, winding a sun-bleached lock around my finger.

He shrugged. "I was thinking I'd like to go to law school, maybe."

"Cowboy lawyer?"

Jasper chuckled. "Child Advocacy. I'd like to work with children… try to be the voice of those who aren't usually heard, you know?"

He looked up at me and I smiled. "That's really admirable, Jasper. I think you'd be great at it."

Jasper sat up slightly, balancing on his hand and running a finger down my face. "You think so?"

"Definitely. Do what makes you happy," I'd encouraged him. "Your family loves you… they'll support you."

He leaned toward me, his warm breath wafting over my face. "You know what'd make me happy right now?"

I lifted my arms around his neck. "I think I might have an idea."

He pressed me back onto the blanket, and made love to me under the bright sunlight, the mountain breeze cooling our overheated skin. Afterwards, we lay there in silence, our limbs tangled together and the only sound our slowing breaths and the chirping of birds.

As I lay in his arms, I tried to ignore the pang of longing I felt when I realized we only had two days left.

~0~

"You're falling for him," Rosalie stated flatly. We were lying on the dock Friday afternoon getting some sun. All of the guys had gone fishing at some stream up the mountain. Jasper had tried to beg off, but Emmett dragged him along.

Stupid cockblocking Emmett.

"Just admit it, Bella," Rosalie pressed. "You're falling for the guy."

I sighed. There was no use denying it.

"It doesn't matter," I mumbled. "We're both leaving on Sunday. Our week is almost up."

I felt Alice grab my hand and give it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. "I'm sorry, honey," she said.

I sat up, wrapping my arms around my knees. "It's okay. It's been an amazing week."

Angela sat up. "Couldn't you… I don't know… keep in touch, maybe? Do the long-distance thing?"

I shook my head. "No. We agreed when we started this thing that we'd keep it casual. No commitments… just fun."

"Well, it's definitely been fun, right?" Rosalie asked with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean, I could hear you having fun last night… repeatedly. Don't you guys ever get tired?"

I blushed, but laughed. "It's been very… very… fun," I admitted. "Besides, you're one to talk, Rose," I teased, raising my voice to imitate her. "'Oh… Emmett, come on Big Daddy!' I mean really, Rose… 'Big Daddy'?" We all burst out laughing.

We lay back down and I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. Alice's quiet voice broke through. "Are you going to be all right, Bella?"

I exhaled heavily. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm just going to set my mind on enjoying the time we have left and try not to think about Sunday."

I hoped I could do it.

~0~

"Jesus… right there sugar…"

He called me sugar. Not darlin' or sweetheart, but sugar. He said it was because I tasted sweet like candy.

Melted my panties every time.

Jasper had come back from the fishing trip sweaty and dirty and oh-so-delectable. He'd said nothing, just grabbed my hand and dragged me up to my room, stripping my clothes off as soon as we walked through the door.

Which led to me riding him as he sat on the floor, his back braced against the bed as I gripped the mattress over his shoulders for leverage.

"God… Bella…" He groaned, gripping my hips and thrusting upward to meet me.

"Shit…"

"Oh God…"

"Uhnnngggg…"

Our moans and curses filled the room and I knew everyone downstairs could hear what we were doing, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. I felt his hand slide between us, rubbing gently at my swollen flesh, and I cried out.

"That's right, sugar… let me hear it," he murmured in encouragement, his mouth hovering over my nipple as he spoke.

"Jasper…" I ground my hips into him, my legs trembling with fatigue and anticipation.

"Mmm hmm… come on baby…" His other hand slid along my ass and I knew he was going to exploit the little tidbit of information he'd discovered a few nights ago. He slid a finger between my cheeks and pressed lightly against my puckered skin, while simultaneously pinching my aching clit.

Good lord he was good at this.

My thighs clenched and I felt him filling me… everywhere… as the heat shot through me. Electric pulses shot along every nerve ending as a white hot flash filled my vision and my muscles tightened… curling tightly into themselves… before exploding in sweet, sweet release.

He tipped his head up, capturing my lips and swallowing my screams. I felt him thrust harshly twice more before his own orgasm claimed him. I collapsed against his chest, spent and relaxed as our breathing slowly returned to normal.

"I take it you missed me today?" I joked, nibbling at his jaw as he chuckled.

He squeezed my hips, turning his head to kiss me lightly. "Like you wouldn't believe," he said, and for a moment I thought I saw something strange in his eyes. Something almost… sad.

But just as quickly it disappeared, and it was replaced by a teasing twinkle. "And now, how about you fix me something to eat? I'm starved." I slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "What?" he asked. "I haven't eaten all day. A boy needs his strength, you know… and you've sorely sapped it with your demanding ways."

He rolled me over onto the floor, hovering over me before his lips brushed mine. "You wouldn't want me to get weak and feeble, would you?" he murmured. "I had plans for Round Two."

He was going to kill me. And I had to admit, death by Jasper-loving was quite a way to go.

~0~

I was not going to cry.

I was not going to cry.

I repeated the mantra to myself over and over until I almost believed it.

It was Sunday morning. The day I'd dreaded for days. Jasper and his friends would be driving to Spokane to catch the red-eye back to New York, and we were heading back to Seattle.

Two-thousand, four-hundred and one miles apart… as the crow flies.

Stupid crow.

Emmett loaded the last of the bags into the car as Jasper leaned against the front of the house, his arms wrapped around me, my back pressed against his chest.

"I guess that's about it," Emmett said, slamming the trunk closed. "Everybody ready to go?" He carefully avoided looking my direction.

"Just give me a second, okay?" I asked, taking Jasper's hand and linking our fingers as I led him to the edge of the forest. I heard the car doors slam as everyone got in.

Time's up.

I turned to him and smiled brightly, struggling not to cry. "So I guess this is it," I said with forced cheeriness. "Umm… good luck with school and… everything."

"Bella…" he began, a soft look in his blue eyes.

God, I was going to miss his eyes… and his dimples… and… him.

"Go to law school," I told him. "Just… be happy, Jasper… please." I dropped my gaze to our feet, so he couldn't see the tears filling my eyes.

"Bella, look at me…" he pleaded. I ignored him.

"It's been great… really great," I finally looked up as I blinked rapidly, gaining some control over my emotions.

Which I lost as soon as I saw his tender gaze.

"I'm sorry," I muttered as the tears finally broke through. "I didn't want to do this… I'm just going to miss you…"

Jasper reached out to stroke my damp cheek. "I'm going to miss you, too."

He looked like was going to say something more, but he just leaned in and kissed me softly. "Good bye, Bella."

I swiped my hand across my eyes. "Bye, Jasper." I walked to the car and got in, forcing myself not to watch him as we drove away. Alice grabbed my hand, and I held it tightly as I finally allowed the tears to flow freely. Emmett put the car in gear and rolled down the driveway, then we all lurched forward as he slammed on the brakes.

"Emmett, what the hell?" Rosalie glared at him, then looked over her shoulder when he jerked his head silently. A smile lit her face.

I turned to see what she was looking at and jumped when I saw Jasper standing next to my window. I rolled down the window.

"Jasper, what-" He cut me off before I could ask what he was doing.

"I want strings," he said, an almost-panicked look in his eyes.

"What?" I opened the door and got out of the car. "What are you talking about?"

He grabbed my hands in his, rubbing them gently with his thumbs. "I know we agreed this was just a one-week thing… no strings attached. But I think…" His eyes were intense and pleading, his low voice fervent. "I think we could have something really special here, and I couldn't let you leave without telling you how I feel.

"I want strings, Bella."

My heart warmed, but I was almost afraid to let myself hope.

"But how, Jasper? We live on opposite sides of the country."

He shrugged. "We can figure it out… we can text… and e-mail… and there's always Skype." He grinned suggestively, and I was momentarily distracted at the possibilities Skype provided.

"We're both graduating in a few months… then there's the summer." His voice sped up as his excitement increased, but his eyes were on our joined hands. "And I have a whole mess of frequent flier miles, so I could come see you before then, even… maybe for a long weekend or something… that is… if you want me to." He looked up at me then, his expression open and hopeful.

Tingles started in my stomach and shot through my body and I felt a slow smile light my face, erasing my tears.

"I'd love that, Jasper."

Relief flooded his features as he pulled me closer. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that… sugar." His voice dropped on the last word, drawing it out and caressing it with his tongue. He knew what that did to me. I couldn't hold back my low whimper, and I saw his dimples flash as he grinned before pressing his lips to mine.

Somewhere… far in the distance… I thought I heard a car door slam and Emmett say, "Anybody want a beer? I think we're going to be here a while."

But I couldn't say for sure, because Jasper was trailing his fingers up and down my back as his sweet tongue glided gently into my mouth. I reached up to tangle my hands in his hair, breathing his breath… feeling his heat.

Cancun could kiss my ass.


End file.
